Chapter 1 The new beginning
Blueflower laid on her back relaxing as the sun warmed her fur in the cold air.
"Hey watch it!" Fernkit and Smallkit were play fighting Again.
Blueflower sighed. Once again her kits were disturbing the other queens. "Ohh.."
"Who's making all that racket?!" Leafstripe yowled.
"It's okay Leafstripe! It's just the kits!" Blueflower meowed.
Blueflower walked over to her kits, "That's enough play for today. You guys play too hard."
"But, we just started playing," Fernkit whined. "Yeah.." Smallkit agreed.
"You kits yowl so hard the elders can hear you," Blueflower reasoned.
"But-" Smallkit began to protest.
"No buts. This is not acceptable." She scrunched her face playfully, "Maybe I can ask Crowstar if you need something to do during the day. Possibly, taking care of the elders, you know changing their moss, checking their fur for ticks.."
"Ewww... I don't want to do that." Fernkit and Smallkit said together.
"Then you guys should start behaving. Now go back in the den and NO more play fighting, today. Especially since you are almost six moons old, so close to apprenticeship."
Fernkit and Smallkit exchanged excited glances.
Blueflower nugded them back toward the nursery.
Boulderclaw, Blueflower's mate, and Crowstar were walking out the den while Boulderclaw reported the news.
Blueflower padded up to them. "Hello Crowstar," she dipped her head in respect.
"Hello Blueflower," he blinked with acknowledgement, "Yes Boulderclaw, we'll see to that. Now I suggest you get some rest we leave at sunhigh."
"Why are you leaving at sunhigh?" Blueflower asked, she pulled her ears back. She was afraid for him, the last time he had gone on a mission out of our territory a badger scratched his left leg, she glanced at his scratches.
"It's nothing, we're just going to check out the territory we smelled foxes near the border. Don't be worried, I"ll be safe." He licked her affectionately between the ears.
"I hope so," she mumbled to herself.
She followed Boulderclaw to the Warriors den, he laid down on the moss. Blueflower still stood up and glanced at the sunset.
"What's wrong?" Boulderclaw asked, "Lay down beside me."
"Well I don't want you gone again and what about the kits the tussle too much, their too restless. The next gathering is two weeks away and so close to their apprenticeship. I"m scared for you and them."she mewed.
Boulderclaw stood up, "Don't worry so much for us. Being restless isn't so bad for them, just think when they become apprentices they'll do twice as better then any other cat would have imagined. And my leg is fine when we go tomorrow i'll be in safe with the other warriors."
"I know" Blueflower admitted.
"Then get some rest, just trust me, okay?"
"Okay", Blueflower laid down on the moss beside Boulderclaw.
She laid against him while he licked her ears.
Fernkit stretched his jaws out wide to let out an enormous yawn.
His mother was licking his and Smallkit's fur so it was extremely glossy.
"Mom, stop it okay, I'm already clean."
"I know. But I'm so proud of you guys, today you get apprenticed!"
Fernkit remembered that it was today. He glanced at Smallkit as she returned the excited glance.
Then a yowl came from high rock. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here now."
The clan began to emerge from their dens, some cats letting out yawns.
Boulderclaw was glancing down at his kits and mate with proud stares.
Fernkit raised his head even higher until his neck hurt, but it was worth it, especially on the day he became an apprentice.
"Today two of our kits will be apprenticed." Yowls of approval sounded from the crowd.
Fernkit and Smallkit raced on to high rock to stand in front of Crowstar.
"Fernkit today your name shall be Fernpaw. And your mentor is Graystorm," Fernpaw ran to his new mentor to touch noses with him.
"Smallkit today your name shall be Smallpaw. And you mentor is Ripplestripe." She padded to her mentor and touched noses with her.
The clan yowled their names, "Fernpaw, Smallpaw!"
"Come on Fernpaw, I'll show you the border!" Graystorm ran toward the entrance.
Fernpaw raced to him, "What now?!"
"Yeah why not. It's a great time to show, you so tomorrow we can practice your hunting moves!"
Fernpaw's heart skipped a beat. "Great!"
"Hey!" It was Ripplestripe,"Can we come?"
Today was the best day of Fernpaw's life, he got to see what it's like outside of the camp with his sister!
They ran through the gorse tunnel. The dirt felt almost as soft as the moss in his old bed.
"The dirt feels like moss.." said Smallpaw. She had already realised it.
Fernpaw blushed. Smallpaw padded up to him and whispered, "You felt it too, didn't you? Sorry I said it first."
"Hey I can't control your mouth," Fernpaw joked, Smallpaw swiped his muzzle, "Hey!" He yowled.
He pushed her shoulders so she lost balance, he quickly kicked her hind legs.
"Cheater!" Smallpaw regained balance, as Graystorm and Ripplestripe turned to watch them fight.
She pushed Fernpaw to the ground and landed on top of him. "Haha I win."
"That was great," mewed Ripplestripe.
Fernpaw and Smallpaw turned their heads to the voices.
"Yes that was great! I"ve never seen an apprentice do that on their first day!" meowed Graystorm.
"Hey you don't remember our first day. we almost fell into a mud pond while we tackled each other."
"Except for that day," admitted Graystom, "But it was fun."
"Hey where are we going to next?" Smallpaw asked, reminding their mentors what they were doing.
"Oh sorry. We forgot where we were for a moment.
Fernpaw raised and eyebrow, and whispered to Smallpaw, "They were more like the apprentices."
"Yeah," agreed Smallpaw.
"Come on guys. We'll show around our territory. It can't be much better than this."
And they padded off through the forest. The apprentices paying attention to everthing their mentors said and stored in their mind like a squirrel stores nuts inside its burrow.